Lori
My husband has had several spinal surgeries and has been collecting Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for 2 yrs now. You need to have your MD fill out his portion of this forms that SS sends him and it helps to send them ALL copies of every test, MD sick leave notes, dates of surgeries, etc. Everything you can think of. If your application is exactly complete and your MD certifies that you cannot be rehabilitated, they shouldn't deny your benefits. If they do, before you hire your own lawyer, check with your former employee. If you are collecting any type of disability payments from them, sometimes they will pay for a lawyer to rep you because it is cheaper for them to have you get SS than for them to keep paying you. Don't forget to ask for children's benefits if you have children under 18 yrs old. They usually do not tell you about children's benefits until after you are approved. Also, don't forget to ask them about paying you retroactively from the beginning of you disability 4 yrs ago. Good luck. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to - LoriP713@aol.com